Joined: 18 Oct 2004Posts: 1654Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2005 1:50 pm Post subject: MEXICO!!!!!!!!

On sunday I will be heading out for Mexico to see my best friend marry a guy I have known since the nursery. I can't wait! I have been getting increasingly hyper and need an outlet for my energy, what better than cooking! What are you favorite Mexican dishes, and may I have the recipe?

Does anyone know how th make carne asada? I know there is thinly sliced char grilled meat with scallions but that is about it. I have been dying for it for months and there are no good Mexican restaurants here.

Oh and I don't speak much Spanish so if anyone has any helpful phrases for my I'd love to hear them. My vocab stops at hola, cerveca and vino tinto._________________"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

Congrats on your happy confluence of events!
Most of what most of the USA considers Mexican food isn't -- it's tex-mex or New mex-mex or similar.
For a good idea of real, regional Mexican food, try any cookbook by Diana Kennedy or Rick Bayless. Kennedy's books are so authentic that some dishes are practically impossible to make here without making comprises she'd NEVER make. Bayless' are not necessarily quick or easy but very authentic and full of flavor.
You'll need to get your hands on all kinds of dried chiles and other ingredients. Most are available by mail order, but I bet you could find a lot of them in the Latin American shops in some Long Island towns serving the Puerto Rican or other Latin food market or in NYC. That won't be in time to take care of your Mexican food need right now!, but will help you prepare for future urges.

Here is the link to Rick's website. He has some recipes listed there, unfortunately not one for carne asada, but they all looked delicious:

DIVINE!_________________In the whorehouses of the bakeries, I was serially, gluttonously, irredeemably unfaithful to all those chapatis-next-door waiting for me back home. East was East, but yeast was West.

Erin - I can say "dos cerveza, por favor" because there was always two of us. And vino blanco, Cafe con leche. I'm no help with Mexican recipes as I only know Tex-Mex style. I believe it is quite different to true Mexican food._________________Barbara

will get your very far! I was in the Mayan Riviera last year (for a wedding....oh so beautiful) and the best cerveza we had was in a little "hole in the wall" where we sat at the road side with a bucket of coronas on ice. Beer never tasted so good or so cold!

They had wonderful guacamole & nachos that were unlike any I had ever had. Their nachos (they don't call them that) were thicker than ours but oh so tasty.

And if you're thinking of bringing anything back....Mexican vanilla is to die for. You won't believe the flavor difference. Bring yourself back a bottle or two.

Please be sure to buy Mexican vanilla from a reputable supplier. There is a lot of "tourist" vanilla out there that isn't. Beware of Mexican "saffron," too. Most of that is not the real saffron.

I like to visit the grocery stores and always come back with a supply of Mexican coffee, hot chocolate (cocoa "cakes" with almonds, cin. and sugar ground in that you melt in warm milk), dried chiles, fruit pastes and other goodies. Remember, you can not bring in fresh fruit or vegetables or any meat products. Unpasturized cheese is also illegal to bring in. I think pasturized cheese vacuum sealed is okay, but I'm not sure.

Mexican candies are very different and are fun to bring back for children and the sweet-toothed.

I had a similar green mole served over chicken breast in a Mexico City restaurant, accompanied by arroz blanco (white rice pilaf) and steamed chayote squash.

Mexican soups are wonderful. Many are based on chicken broth, and are blended until smooth.

Carne Asada is very popular in the Northern Mexican states such as Chihuahua. My neighbor Eva is from Chihuahua City, and she makes it this way, using whatever kind of steak looks good. It's just thinnish beefsteaks seasoned with lemon juice or lime, a little salt, pepper & garlic, then grilled over an open charcoal or wood fire. Onions wrapped in foil are grilled too, and the meat is served very simply with some flour tortillas and a not too spicy cooked salsa. Salsa "recipe", such as it is, is from Mrs. Longoria, from Chihuahua also: tomato, jalapeno, onion & garlic. Salsa ingredients roasted, blended, then fried off for about 10 minutes in a little oil. Northern Mexico is wheat country, and flour tortillas are just as common as corn ones. Homemade beat storebought hands down. This is the tort recipe I use:
http://www.lasculturas.com/lib/rcp/rcp0027.htm

Absolutely right, Creampuff! We were near the town of Playa del Carmen and went into some little grocery stores and that's where we got our vanilla extract. I have to say I was disappointed in the coffee I brought home, though, it didn't have the same body as the stuff we drank while we were down there.

Also, don't buy your liquor at the airport! We bought a big bottle of Kahlua for about $7USD at the same place we got the vanilla but it was almost $14USD at the airport!

Joined: 18 Oct 2004Posts: 1654Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound

Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 2:16 pm Post subject:

JustMe, We will be near Playa del Carmen, at a little hotel in Xpu-ha! I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the area. I most definitely will try out the vanilla. Are there any places we should check out? Thanks for the link, I have always enjoyed Rick Bayless, but don't know very much about his style.

Where I grew up there are some places with a Tex-Mex/S.W. influence but not as many as real deal Mexican food. I tend to stay away from the big places, because as we all know the quality goes out the window. There was a place not far from my townhouse called 'Joe's Mexican', it was strangely enough attatched to a gas station. Now normally I would have fled in terror, but when it comes to real Mexican food I will eat from the side of a truck. The tacos at this place were to die for, steak with lime! The nachos had only the freshest avocados, pico de gallo, manchego, cilantro and sour cream in the world. OH I AM HUNGRY! Chilie Rellanos are my Achillies Heel. I almost flopped over dead when I had some a year ago. Just before I left Seattle I found the best place I had ever been to, everything was made from scratch from the salsa to the slow cooked pinto beans and moles. I could go on, but then this would be a crazy long post.
Brigidsdaughter, Thanks for the help on the carne asada, you have insured that my tastebuds will be happy! I knew it was going to be something really simple that is what I like about Mexican cooking. Thanks for the site also!

David, I can't remember what cheveche's origins are either but who cares, it is WONDERFUL! I am a huge fan of cheveche, carpaccio and kellaguin, (I am totally guessing on the spelling).

creampuff, Thanks for the tips on vanilla. I will remember about the liquor limit, because if Patron is from Mexico my husband will want to bring back a truckload!

Barbara, "Dos cerveca por favor" will come in handy I am sure as we plan not only to kick back but have a few celebrations to attend. There is not only a wedding but three birthdays, (one Phil's), a rehersal and a bachelorette party. I think I will need a vacation from my vacation._________________"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

Oh, lucky you! We just loved Playa del Carmen. We were about 20 minutes south of there. The "main street" runs parallel to the beach but if you walk up a block or two you'll find lots of little grocery type stores....and lots of drugstores advertising viagara!

There's a big public beach that has 2 streets leading to the water with a "park" of sorts in the middle. On the left hand side when you are going towards the water there's a great little place that advertises 5 Coronas for $7 and they come in a bucket with lots of ice....a cold beer never tasted so good. If I have a chance I will look through my travel diary & see if I wrote down the name of the place. We also ate lunch at a great restaurant in town....I will see if I can find the name of the place. We had bought some jewelry & the owner gave us a coupon.

My husband and I went into the town twice because we liked it so much. We took a local bus from our hotel for $1...quite the experience.

Joined: 18 Oct 2004Posts: 1654Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound

Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:44 pm Post subject:

JustMe, I was just looking through an old "Cooking Light" magazine and found a whole section on Rick Bayless. I just made his marinade for Pollo Adobado con Papas! I can't wait, it will be a welcome treat. Phil and I got brave and tested out the lone Mexican restaurant in our area. It was almost as terrible that the place we went in Fargo, North Dakota, there I doubted whether the chef even knew Mexico was a country. Today though the menu looked promising but did not deliver. I expected fresh, simple and tons of flavor I got instead an unappetizing pile of goo. I ordered cilie rellanos. My husbands pollo en crema was even worse.

Can you tell I am excited! I would love the name of the restaurant if you have the chance. My husband would love the bucket of Corona._________________"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."